Brooklyn Nets coach Lionel Hollins has been released from the team and general manager Billy King has stepped down from the team according to several reports.
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Billy King and Lionel Hollins out with the Nets, team says.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 10, 2016
King was basically running a farm system for the Boston Celtics since they own so many of the Nets' future picks and Hollins really didn't have a team he could work with properly. The firing probably benefits Hollins at this point so he can go find a job on someone else's bench and not be in the spotlight trying to coach a terrible team. He will definitely be snatched up in the offseason if someone doesn't give him a job right away this season.
Some people are baffled as to why the Nets decided to pull the trigger on this move today as the Nets are pretty much stuck in the cellar with the team as it stands. They aren't going to dig their way out of the 10-27 hole they've dug for themselves.
Gotta be honest: hard to understand why this had to be done today. Team wasn't going anywhere - now it doesn't even have a general manager.
— Tim Bontemps (@TimBontemps) January 10, 2016
Just to show how bad a break Hollins has gotten with the Nets, ESPN Stats & Info hit us with this lovely nugget.
Nets are 48-71 since hiring Hollins at the start of last season
Win pct of .403 ranks 23rd in the NBA in that span https://t.co/J8To2cOa5s
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) January 10, 2016
Assistant coach Tony Brown will be the interim head coach for the rest of the season. With a game against the San Antonio Spurs looming on Monday, this does not bode well. Owner Mikhail Prokorov better find someone who knows how to actually run a team and then someone who can properly coach the players that GM brings in for him.
It seems all of this was done in a rather terrible manner too as people found out about the news via press releases.
Who is running the Nets for now? Unclear within organization. Almost all learned of firings via news release.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 10, 2016
